About

I'm Mary, the owner and maker behind Li'l Hayseed handicrafts, and worker/co-manager of our family farm. This is my blog, which, as you can tell, doesn't get a whole lot of activity. I'm working to change that... sort of. We'll see how it goes.

 I'm a fairly quirky fifteen-year-old that talks far too much, is a huge overachiever, a devout Catholic,
loves to death everyone she's ever met, and laughs a good portion of the time.

 I live on a small hobby farm that's nestled in the woods between swamps in central Minnesota. We've raised broiler chickens and egg layers for years, and have a big ol' vegetable garden, and this year we're adding cut flower production and four piggies to the roster. We're doing some general expansion of our agricultural enterprises this year, and I couldn't be more excited.

I do believe I've been a farm girl at heart even before we were pursuing any farming endeavors. The closeness to the land, animals, and plants; paired with the ability to provide good food for us and others, is something that I've loved my entire life. And since I am the oldest child, I'm expected to help with a lot of the chores, planning, and management, but I know that all that hard work builds character (I promise that is my real opinion and not what my parents are telling me to say), and it's already grown me so much as a person. I hope to be a farmer when I grow up, so there's no time like the present to learn the ins and outs!

Li'l Hayseed Handicrafts started when I was twelve, when my little stash of okayish-quality knits began to pile up. So I opened up an Etsy shop, and three years later I've built a bit of a brand of handknits (everything from scarves and hats to coffee cup cozies), traditional hand-dyed Ukrainian Easter eggs, and the occasional home-sewn thing that I throw in, too. Since then my skill set has grown exponentially (thank heavens), and I am learning constantly, about my current arts and about new ones.

Li'l Hayseed, runs out of my bedroom, which also serves me as a studio, as well as a classroom, because I am homeschooled. Being homeschooled allows for a lot more flexibility, and it allows me to knit WHILE I'm reading textbooks! Most of the school hours you'll find me sitting cross-legged on my bed, a book or my computer in front of me, knitting like crazy. I enjoy a wide range of traditional crafts from including knitting, sewing, calligraphy, and Ukrainian egg decorating.

Balancing work with school and other activities, and helping to run a farm can be a challenge, but I always have the satisfaction of knowing that I'm learning and developing valuable skills that I can use for the rest of my life. 

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day.

Mary Schaefbauer, 

The Li'l Hayseed